Device for in-vitro modelling in-vivo tissues of organs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018355299-A1
Application number	US-201816051201-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 31, 2018
Priority date	Sep 5, 2013
Publication date	Dec 13, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A device for in-vitro modelling in-vivo tissues of organs that includes a first body portion with at least one access chamber, a second body portion with at least one culturing chamber, and a culturing membrane dividing the at least one access chamber from the culturing chamber. The device further includes a third body portion with at least one actuation chamber having at least one limitation cavity, and an actuation membrane dividing the at least one culturing chamber from the at least one actuation chamber. With the device, a robust actuation system can be provided that does not depend on the mechanical properties of the actuation membrane material, nor on the pressure, and that allows to mimic three-dimensional deformations of the tissue, in particular of lung alveoli.

First claim

1 . A method of using a device for in-vitro modelling in-vivo tissues of organs, the device comprising a first body portion with at least one access chamber, a second body portion with at least one culturing chamber, and a culturing membrane dividing the at least one access chamber from the culturing chamber, the method comprising:
incubating cells by providing the cells on top of a first side of the culturing membrane until the cells attach to the culturing membrane; flipping the first body portion and the second body portion together with the culturing membrane by about 180°; and incubating further cells by providing the further cells on top of a second side of the culturing membrane until the further cells attach to the culturing membrane.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a perfusion channel with an inlet, an outlet, and the at least one culturing chamber, wherein the inlet, the at least one culturing chamber, and the outlet are connected.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein incubating the cells on the first side of the culturing membrane comprises providing the cells through the inlet of the perfusion channel into the culturing chamber.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein at least one of growth factors, chemicals, gases, nutrients drugs, xenobiotics, blood, or blood serum is provided through the inlet of the perfusion channel into the culturing chamber together with the cells.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein incubating the further cells on the second side of the culturing membrane comprises providing the further cells into the access chamber.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein at least one of growth factors, chemicals, gases, nutrients drugs, xenobiotics, blood or blood serum is provided into the access chamber together with the further cells.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a third body portion.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the third body portion comprises at least one actuation chamber with at least one limitation cavity, and an actuation membrane dividing the at least one culturing chamber from the at least one actuation chamber, wherein the method comprises actuating the culturing membrane by moving the actuation membrane.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the method comprises assembling the third body portion to the first body portion and the second body portion after flipping the first body portion and the second body portion together with the culturing membrane by about 180°.

10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the third body portion is assembled to the first body portion and the second body portion using a holder that uses a mechanic force, an electric force, a magnetic force, or a combination thereof.

11 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the third body portion defines a closed culturing chamber limited by the culturing membrane.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the culturing membrane is porous.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first side of the culturing membrane is opposite to the second side of the culturing membrane.

14 . A device for in-vitro modelling in-vivo tissues of organs, the device comprising:
a first body portion with at least one access chamber; a second body portion with at least one culturing chamber; a culturing membrane dividing the at least one access chamber from the culturing chamber; and a third body portion, wherein the device is configured such that the first body portion and the second body portion together with the culturing membrane are capable of being assembled to and disassembled from the third body portion in different rotational positions relative to the third body portion to facilitate incubation of cells on a first side of the culturing membrane and further cells on a second side of the culturing membrane.

15 . The device of claim 14 , wherein the third body portion comprises at least one actuation chamber with at least one limitation cavity, and the device comprises an actuation membrane dividing the at least one culturing chamber from the at least one actuation chamber.

16 . The device of claim 14 , wherein the device further comprises a holder that uses a mechanic force, an electric force, a magnetic force, or a combination thereof to assemble the first body portion and the second body portion together with the culturing membrane to the third body portion.

17 . The device of claim 14 , wherein the device further comprises a perfusion channel with an inlet, an outlet, and the at least one culturing chamber, wherein the inlet, the at least one culturing chamber, and the outlet are connected.

18 . The device of claim 17 , wherein the inlet of the perfusion channel and the culturing chamber are configured to incubate the cells on the first side of the culturing membrane by providing the cells through the perfusion channel into the culturing chamber.

19 . The device of claim 17 , wherein the further cells incubated on the second side of the culturing membrane are provided into the access chamber.

20 . The device of claim 14 , wherein the third body portion defines a closed culturing chamber limited by the culturing membrane.

21 . The device of claim 14 , wherein the culturing membrane is porous.

22 . The device of claim 14 , wherein the first side of the culturing membrane is opposite to the second side of the culturing membrane.

Assignees

• Univ Bern

Inventors

• Guenat Olivier Thierry
• Felder Marcel
• Stucki Andreas
• Stucki Janick Daniel
• Geiser Thomas

Classifications

• C12M25/04

  in combination with well or multiwell plates, i.e. culture inserts · CPC title

• C12M29/10

  Perfusion · CPC title

• C12M35/08

  Chemical, biochemical or biological means, e.g. plasma jet, co-culture · CPC title

• C12M41/40

  of pressure · CPC title

• C12M21/08 Primary

  for producing artificial tissue or for ex-vivo cultivation of tissue (prostheses A61F2/00, grafts A61L27/00) · CPC title